Andre Szmyt (12), committed to the University of Louisville on March 29th. There, he will be playing side by side with Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson and head coach Bobby Petrino. Szmyt, the phenom kicker/punter, said he was heavily recruited by many other division one programs: Michigan State, Maryland, West Virginia, Northwestern, Kansas, and Northern Illinois. Szmyt will be the fifth football player from our school to play division one: DaVaris Daniels at Notre Dame, Evan Spencer at Ohio State, James Randall at Western Michigan University, and James Hallendorff at University of Illinois.

As soon as Szmyt stepped on campus at Louisville, he felt at home. He felt welcomed and was attracted to their beautiful campus, personable coaching staff, and immaculate football facilities.

The amazing thing is, he had never played organized football until the fall of his senior year.  

“I was recruited for soccer as well, but lost my passion for the game and took the chance to really make it big in football. I was hungry to be the best kicker in the state.” He began what he called his “senior grind.” Szmyt kicked and punted footballs anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours every day, lifted with the football team, stretched to increase flexibility, and even got some professional training to fine tune his form. By the start of the year, he was already one of the top kickers in the state and attracted scouts from all over.

“He [Szmyt] was one of the biggest reasons for our success this year. He single-handedly won the game that got us into the playoffs. Andre was able to put our defense in great position almost every time,” said head coach Mr. Bill Bellecomo. Szmyt hit nine field goals, including a school record 48 yarder, and was nearly automatic on extra points.

Szmyt will have essentially no summer since he has to report to football camp on May 30th. He said he will be working to perfect his craft and is hoping to get playing time and earn a scholarship as early as his freshman year.

He joked around about how he is excited to hang out with Kodak Black and Lamar Jackson when he gets down to Kentucky. He aspires to be like New York Giants’ punter Brad Wing because he “is a baller and hangs out with Odell [Beckham Jr.] and Jarvis [Landry].”

Szmyt showed gratitude for all of his supporters throughout the process.  

“I can’t thank Como, Schroetter, and the rest of the Vernon Hills coaching staff [enough] for putting me in a lot of good positions to succeed. They really had a lot of faith in me and made me into the player I am today,” said Szmyt.

Szmyt believes he has the vision to be one of the best kickers in the world.

“As long as he continues to work hard, the sky’s the limit. This kid has the leg to be in the NFL,” said Bellecomo.